Look At Me!
by Prism Queen AA-9
Summary: Adrien is not a hero. Adrien has no special powers. However, Adrien is willing to do anything to get Ladybug's attention even though he already has it with Marinette. He'll become Ladybug's arch nemesis: Chat Noir! Can Ladybug save him from his own darkness? AU
1. Black Cats Are Out And About

If you were to ask Adrien Agreste what he thought of the Parisian heroine Ladybug he would say, "Ladybug is the most amazing role model I could think of. She is a _miraculous_ person.", of course that would translate to: "I'm in love with Ladybug."

Often, he would spend long hours pondering on how to catch her attention. How could he get Ladybug to notice him and perhaps even gain her friendship? If he had her friendship then maybe... just _maybe_... they could become more than friends. In his mind, Ladybug and Adrien were soul mates just waiting to be together once more.

He sometimes would wonder why she didn't notice him. He was the son of a renowned fashion designer, he had a pleasant attitude, he was a model for miraculous sake! Though he would admit he wasn't a flashy model and did stay out of the media's sights. Maybe he was too pleasant. Yes, he had a great personality but it wasn't noticeable, in fact, he was quite mundane.

Adrien sighed as he waited for the unveiling of the new Ladybug statute, Ladybug would be coming, and perhaps here he could catch her sight. He suddenly remembered the event in the middle of his fencing practice and ran to get there in time, however Ladybug herself was not present. He waited and waited, even after the statute had been unveiled until she finally arrived. Finally she arrived after quite some time and what a sight she was. Her red outfit on her like a second skin and her apologetic face were like a breath of fresh air for Adrien.

"I'm so sorry for coming late. I can't apologize enough but I would like thank you for your beautiful statue, it's beautiful." Ladybug thanked the artist. They chatted and Ladybug even gave him her autograph. All the while Adrien fumbled in his pockets looking for the ring he wanted to give Ladybug. Soon enough Ladybug was leaving before Adrien could get the ring out.

"Wait Ladybug! Ladybug wait!" He called out to her but she only spared a glance and left. At last Adrien had gotten out the ring and Ladybug was nowhere in sight.

It was a small feeling at first and then it grew larger; similar as to how a small snowball grows as it rolls down a snowy slope. It was frustration! A feeling of inferiority! He could not speak to his idol because he was not equal to Ladybug! He was too powerless, too ordinary, too invisible for her to notice him. He couldn't even give her the silver ring he wished to give her. Adrien walked away quickly, his hand clenched around the ring, and his angry steps echoing was he walked to a more desolate location. He needed a quiet place to cool off and stop this feeling... this feeling that was eating his insides. Once he was sure he was alone he slumped down a tree and looked at the ring he was previously clenching. It looked at him innocently as if say: _"Its your fault for not being faster."_ Adrien sighed in defeat. A dark butterfly soon fluttered and landed gently on the ring. Suddenly a commanding voice sounded in his head.

 _"Chat Noir, I am Hawkmoth. You wish to be an equal to Ladybug to get her attention, well I can make you an equal. Just like she has lucky powers, you can have lucky powers too. However, nothing is free, get me her miraculous and you'll stay her equal, what do you say?"_

"I'll do it. Ladybug will notice me for sure if we're equal." With that, Adrien let the darkness consume him.

* * *

Marinette sunk onto her bed with a tired sigh. "I can't believe I ignored like that."

Tikki went next to her and looked at her. "Well why did you ignore him? Don't you like him?"

"I do! I do and a lot! But I couldn't face him. Being behind the mask of Ladybug I feel much more confident but Adrien just gets me all jittery. Besides, how can I face him when I still have his phone?"

"Oh Marinette, I think you should just be honest and give Adrien his phone. I'm sure he'll understand."

"And be marked as a thief by him! No way!"

"Well you better do something soon before he catches you."

"I know, I know-" Marinette was interrupted by her ringing phone. "Oh it's Alya. Hey Alya... what... are you sure? ...Okay, okay... just be safe. Bye."

"What is it Marinette?"

"There is a new villain and he is looking for none other than Ladybug. Alya said she was going to film it all for the Ladyblog. I just hope he isn't very dangerous."

"What are we waiting for then?"

"You're right. Tikki, spots on!"

* * *

Ladybug appeared before the villain and looked at him. He smiled pleased, though it was more of a sneer then a smile and leaned against a fence. "I'm here, what did you want from me?" Ladybug spoke with a strong and confident voice.

"What do I want? Simple. I wish to introduce myself, M'Ladybug. I am Chat Noir. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure is all yours, I can assure." Ladybug took in the appearance of Chat Noir. His black suit was sleek and form fitting with a large golden bell around his neck, his dark hair was wild, and his eyes appeared to be glowing purple… similar to an akuma before it was de-evilized.

"Hmph. Get used to seeing me. I won't let you go so easily and I will take your attention."

"Is that all?" Ladybug asked defiantly.

"I simply came to give you this message and a little demonstration."

"Demonstration?"

Chat Noir grinned and showed off his claws. "Cataclysm!" With that his claws glowed darkly and he swiped the fence he had been leaning on. The fence then rusted and fell apart. What truly caught Ladybug's eye though, was the fact that the ring Chat Noir was wearing acted just like a miraculous. Was the ring an akumatized miraculous? Or was it perhaps a mock miraculous? Akumalous?

"You see Ladybug, you may be good luck, but I am bad luck." With said Chat Noir left before Ladybug could process what had happened. She had a feeling she would be seeing Chat Noir a lot more often.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Welp, this is my first time writing a Miraculous fiction so I'm still working on it. I am an amateur writer and still need improvement so sorry about it not being great.**_

 _ **About this AU: Adrien is not Chat Noir and does not have his miraculous or Plagg. When he gets akumatized, his ring becomes a fake miraculous so he can change to Chat Noir and back, the ring acts just like a miraculous. This takes place during the Copy Cat episode and instead of Theo being akumatized, its Adrien. Marinette is still the same person. She did in fact let Theo down gently, though they did become friends. The only difference is that she works on her own and has to defeat akuma villains on her own. Adrien will act out of character so yeah. In this fic, Adrien wants Ladybug to notice him one way or another, he just doesn't realize Ladybug as Marinette already does.**_

 _ **This takes place in a completely different universe to the regular show, hence AU. If you aren't caught up with the show, this fic is good for you.**_


	2. The Ladybug And Her Film Woes

The next day seemed to reflect Marinette's gloomy thoughts as she walked to school. The clouds were heavy in the sky with water that threatened to fall as rain at any second. Marinette simply couldn't believe she let the akumatized person go without freeing them. She felt guilty because now that person was running around with that evil in them. Marinate felt as if she had dishonored all the Ladybugs before her and disappointed Tikki. Tikki, on the other hand, didn't get mad but did urge her to de-evilize Chat Noir. Though Marinette would never like to put Paris in danger, she wished that Chat Noir would make an appearance soon, even if it meant trouble.

On the other side of the coin, Adrien was feeling extremely pleased with himself. He felt different, not in a bad way but a more empowered way. He felt as if he could do whatever he wished; as if he had gained a certain new freedom. The city of Paris was his for the taking and more importantly he definitely got Ladybug's attention. Already were the news flooding with pictures of his alter ego with Ladybug and the internet was full of videos of his and Ladybug's little _chat._ Adrien chuckled to himself at the little pun he made. He was a comedy genius, perhaps after had Ladybug, he could become a professional comedian. His father wouldn't like that though… The Hell with his father! He was his own person! He should do whatever he wished to do with himself! He could wring his father's neck if he really wanted to! Adrien blinked and looked out the window of the car he was in. Where had those thoughts come from? He never thought like that before. Adrien sighed and shrugged away any concern. Was he such a loser that even in his mind he was following whatever his father said? No more. _No more_ , Adrien thought to himself. Adrien played with the silver ring this Hawkmoth man had enhanced, he noticed that when he was Chat Noir, the ring turned dark, it was convenient if he could hide his identity this way, he could keep Ladybug in a mystery. Soon enough he got to school and walked out of the car without so much as a goodbye to the Gorilla.

Marinette fidgeted in her chair when she saw Adrien come in. She still had his phone! She had to be slick to put in his bag. Alya gave her a few words of encouragement. While Adrien was distracted with Nino's idea about going to the movie theaters, she successfully the phone in and in the nick of time as Adrien grabbed his bag. The phone plopped on the table when he opened his bag.

"Oh? My phone was in here? I didn't even notice. I guess I was too busy yesterday to take it out." Adrien told Nino. Marinette on the other hand was on the verge of throwing her head on the table and repeatedly smack it but she remained composed and refrained from doing such a thing. While she was grateful that Adrien never noticed, she was very upset that all that stressing yesterday had been over nothing.

"So dude, is it a go or no go to the movies?"

"Oh movies? Can Marinette and I come along?" Alya asked cheerfully.

"No go. Sorry, I have some plans already, though I'm sure all you guys can have fun."

"Aw no way man, that sucks! Well how about we set up a date to when you're not busy." Nino said. Just then, Adrien got a brilliant idea.

"Err- you know what, I think I can reschedule my plans, it'd be fun to go out with you and the ladies."

Alya leaned in and nudged Marinette on the arm. "Guess we're going on a movie date with Adrien and Nino." She hummed quietly to her. Marinette grinned happily and stood up quickly.

"YAAAY!" She cheered to the heavens. She sat back down with a dopey smile until she realized Adrien and Nino were giving her a strange look. Marinette blushed and nervously chuckled. "S-sorry! I haven't been to the movies in a looooong time and with friends! Golly gee gum drops! Friendship! Because friendship is magic, right? Not that I think that magic is real- unless you think it's real then in that case it's totally absolutely real! Let's have an open mind for all these things. Ha.. ha.. Ha…" Oh how Marinette cursed herself for going into brain goo mode. Nino and Adrien shrugged and went back to talking on about other things.

Alya pat Marinette's back. "Think about it this way, you're going on a date with Adrien except it's not a date and you're going with Nino and me."

Marinette smiled and nodded. "Yeah, my first date with Adrien…. And you and Nino."

Adrien smirked internally. The movie theater was a wonderful place to cause a bit of chaos, was it not?

* * *

The date of the movie theater meetup came sooner than expected and Marinette was walking on her toes with excitement. "Oh Tikki! What am I going to wear? Should I go with the usual or should I be a bit more flirtatious? Maybe I should wear a dress or maybe-!"

"Or maybe you should focus on trying to find Chat Noir and get him de-evilized? The longer he is akumatized, the more trouble he could cause!"

"I know, I know, but I think I can focus on Adrien just for today Tikki, I promise afterwards I will do my best to find Chat Noir. Whoever he is will be just fine."

"Marinette-"

"Don't worry Tikki, everything will be fine."

"If you say so." Tikki sighed and knew that Marinette was going to learn the hard way. Tikki just hoped that Chat Noir would be de-evilized soon. Tikki knew the consequences of having an akuma inside a person for extended periods of time, and could only imagine having a mock miraculous would make things worst. Unfortunately, Marinette was too infatuated with Adrien Agreste to think about the safety of not only Chat Noir nor Paris but the world as well.

Marinette in the end settled for the same style she usually went with. Alya was waiting with Nino and Adrien for Marinette and once she came, they went inside to pick a film. They settled for a horror film and Alya insisted that Marinette should sit next to Adrien. Mariette nearly burst into tears with gratitude but kept herself composed for her dignity's sake.

Marinette did her best to give Adrien a flirty yet sweet smiled but only succeeded in giving him a pained lopsided grin. Adrien chuckled thinking Marinette wanted to make him smiled and gave her an appreciative smile. Not exactly the result she wanted but hey, beggars can't be choosers. As the film started, Marinette slowly inched her hand towards Adrien's, she was mere centimeters away from placing hers over his but Adrien moved his hand in the last second to grab some popcorn. Marinette sighed a little but there was plenty of time to try it later. It wasn't too much later in the film when the movie started to get scarier, Marinette saw her perfect opportunity and now tried to grab Adrien's hand again as if in fear, however Adrien moved his hand again to take a sip of his soft drink! Marinette nearly groaned in frustration but had a back plan. Though it was usually the guy who did this, Marinette faked a yawn to put her arm around Adrien, nothing could go wrong this time, right? That is what Marinette thought until Adrien, who was playing subconsciously with the ring on his finger, dropped the ring by accident and bent down to pick it up, leaving Marinette to wrap her arm around just plain air! Since hints weren't working, she would have to tell him directly if she could hold his hand. Before she could even get a word out, Adrien excused himself to go to the restroom. Marinette wanted to scream for an eternity in frustration.

Adrien quickly went to the "restroom" when really he looked for the perfect place to transform. Marinette sulked and stared at the film that was playing. The masked murderer was bringing his ax up to chop the unsuspecting couple when suddenly she heard "Cataclysm!", just as the murderer brought down his ax, however instead of a bloody mess being shown, the screen was torn and the wall behind it was destroyed. Panic grew as the viewers ran out quickly, except for Alya who wanted to catch everything for her Ladyblog. Marinette ran out and looked for the right place to transform, though she didn't know it, she transformed where Adrien had previously changed.

"Tikki. Spots on!"

 _'Tikki was right...'_ Marinette thought to herself now in heroine mode. As Ladybug, she ran to where Chat Noir was. _'I should have been looking for Chat Noir instead of trying to get Adrien's attention! I hope Adrien isn't in danger.'_

"Stop whatever you're doing Chat Noir!" She said with great authority, she wouldn't let Chat Noir do as he wished, she was going to put a stop to her.

"I'm afraid that is not possible, m'lady. See, I got what I wanted." Chat replied in a carefree manner. He was pleased at how quick Ladybug appeared.

"And what is that?"

"Your attention." Ladybug scowled at this, she knew Chat only had five minutes and that meant she only had five minutes to de-evilized Chat Noir. A five minute show down was about to go down.

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_

 _ **WHAM!** Sorry for the long wait. The chapters will be gradually getting longer! Marinette, oh Marinette, I love writing her parts. By the way. Is Tikki a she or it?_


	3. Showdown: The Bug vs The Chat!

Taking a deep breath Ladybug scowled and swung her yo-yo in a circular motion prepared to block any attack Chat Noir might throw at her. Chat, on the other hand, smiled lazily and took out his staff and got ready. For a moment, they simply stared at each other and as if saying 'Draw!' Chat Noir used his staff as if it were a fencing sword and went at her. With no intentions of wanting to hurt her, he aimed at her feet to throw her off balance and at her hands to make her drop her yo-yo. Ladybug though was not easily going to be defeated. She blocked him and studying his movements to try and stay a step ahead of him. Soon she noticed that he never truly aimed at her, just her feet and hands. She smiled to herself as she devised a plan to push him away long enough for her to use Lucky Charm. If attention was what Chat wanted, attention was what she was going to give him.

"Oh Chat~!" Ladybug smiled sweetly at him. "You fight so well! Much better than other people I've fought. Your form is fantastic."

Chat was no fool and soon caught on that something was up, however, his boyish heart wanted to believe that Ladybug's words were honest. He raised a smile cautiously. "What exactly are you playing at, milady?"

 _'Drat! He knows I'm planning something!'_ Still, she managed to buy herself a minute so far. One down, four to go. "I'm not planning anything Chat. I'm simply…" With a swift kick, Ladybug pushed Chat away from here. "...buying time! Lucky Charm!" Ladybug through her yo-yo up and caught what she would use. "A… fishing rod….?"

While the heroine pondered on what she may use the fishing rod, Chat Noir did not take it all to kind that Ladybug thought she could distract him with her charm, no pun intended there, even though it was very possible. Chat's feelings were hurt but anger overshadowed that hurt and now wanted to get back at Ladybug for doing that. He let out a growl and humped back up. He then yanked the fishing rod out of Ladybug's hands. Ladybug's reactions were always quick but the other's cat-like reflexes were faster and soon ladybug found herself being pinned down by Chat Noir. He glared down at with an intensity that for a moment, Ladybug was unsure of what to do.

Who on Earth was this man… or would boy be more appropriate? She gave him a glare of her own but her's looked into his eyes as she prodded to look deep into who he was. She wanted to know who he was, she felt something inside her twist with…. melancholy? Why? Ladybug- no…. Marinette hoped dearly that Chat was not someone she cared about. A sense of dread, however, told her that it was a very big possibility. Looking at his eyes, she saw a vision of someone being trapped in a sea of darkness. Ladybug's eyes widened and she let out a small gasp. Whoever Chat was, she needed to save them from the akuma's evil.

Chat on the other hand was lost in Ladybug's eyes. They were so… blue…. It was like jumping into an ocean, an ocean that could be both very gently and very stormy should the time come. He remembered the first time she came out to help Paris and the first time he was able to see her. All clad in red and spots, she was timid and unsure of herself but then… she took on Stoneheart on her own, filled with courage and a new sense of justice to protect those around her. He felt as if he should be fighting alongside her. She was a strong and independent young heroine but that didn't mean that she should shoulder on the stress of protecting Paris from akumas. Then again…. here he was. Here he was being a sort of burden for Ladybug, his own frustrations clouding his judgement and now he was drowning in darkness. Where was Adrien now? Was their only Chat Noir now?

Two minutes down, three to go.

 _"Chat Noir! What are you doing just staring at her like an idiot!? Take her miraculous and bring them to me!"_ Chat Noir heard the voice of Hawkmoth loud in his head and he hesitated. Something in the back of his mind yelled at him not to do it but that voice was soon gone. Chat reached for Ladybug's earrings but she would not let him have them. Ladybug thought quickly and looked at the fishing rod close to her. With an outstretched hand she reached for it. Her Lucky Charm vision telling her to use the fishing rod to hook to the back of Chat's tail and yank him to the ripped screen from where Chat had first appeared, yes she would wrap Chat tightly in the screen and take his ring, then she would de-evilize him for good. Her hand worked quickly and she punched Chat on the nose as she hooked the rod on his tail. Ladybug strained her muscles as she kicked him away and held on to the fishing rod before it could fly away from her hands. She jumped back on her feet and in the brief second where Chat was still disoriented, she pulled and threw him to the screen. Chat was taken by surprise and couldn't think straight for a moment.

Three minutes down, two to go.

Chat scowled and twisted to kick Ladybug's wrist. She gasped out in small pain hoping it wasn't fractured. She let go of the fishing rod but dove down to keep Chat down long enough for her to wrap him, however she soon realized that it was a futile attempt to wrap him as he squirmed too much, she had to change tactics. They pushed each other in attempts to gain dominance over on another and to grab each other's special accessories. Thier fighting and the ticking of the clock signaled that this was going to be a draw. Chat did what he wanted to avoid and kicked Ladybug on her midsection to threw her off.

Four minutes down, one to go.

"My apologies Bugaboo but I can't have you knowing who I am just yet. Until next time." Chat said as Ladybug took deep breaths to regain the breath that she lost when the other kicked her. She wasn't expecting Chat to actual hurt her as he had been refraining from doing so at the beginning. She stood up and tried to go after him but knew it would be in vain. She grabbed the fishing rod and threw it up in the air.

"Miraculous Ladybug!" She said. At the very least she could fix the damage Chat Noir had done. Her earrings told her she had one more minute before she de-transformed. She figured Chat Noir must had de-transformed himself. She quickly went to change.

Alya, who had been forgotten for the most of the fight, had caught everything on film. "Alright, Ladybloggers! This is your girl Alya and you had just witnessed the live footage of Ladybug vs. Chat Noir! Chat is still out on the lose but what had been that moment of silence between Ladybug and Chat Noir? Was it a moment of sizing each other up or was there a deeper meaning? Keep your eye on this blog because I might just find out soon! See you next time!"

Alya shut off her phone and eagerly went to look for Marinette. Marinette had already de-transformed and was looking for the others. Her nice date with Adrien had been ruined by Chat Noir, people panicked, she got hurt, and she let Chat Noir leave yet again still akumatized. She was not having a very good day. Soon she met up with everyone. Alya and Nino ad been going on about how cool the whole fight had been and about what a bummer it was that they couldn't finish the film but Marinette and Adrien were quiet. Marinette was tired and hurt while Adrien was hurt and felt his head start to ache.

"Hey dude, are you feeling alright? You don't look so good." Nino asked Adrien.

"I'm fine, I just have a bit of a headache. Chat Noir was pretty amazing and Ladybug was spectacular like always all but I guess I'm too tired to get excited like you guys..." Adrien replied.

"What about you Marinette? You're pretty quiet too." Alya asked Marinette.

"Oh I'm just a little upset that we couldn't finish the movie but I think I caught some sort of stomach bug..." Marinette smiled a little awkwardly.

"Hm… well in that case I think that we could reschedule another movie night or maybe another activity to do when you guys are feeling well." Alya suggested and Nino agreed.

"Sounds like a plan, right Marinette?" Adrien said with a soft smile to Marinette.

"Y-yeah! Totally right not left, am I right or am I left. Ha... ha… ha,.." Marinette would usually blabber on but she winced a bit as laughing brought small pain to her midsection.

"Right….." The others said each with a different expression. Alya with a not again look, Nino with a highly amused one, and Adrien with a very confused one.

* * *

"What am I going to do Tikki?" Marinette laid down on her bed looking up worriedly. "I haven't been able to get rid of the akuma!"

Tikki had a face of equal worry but tried to keep it controlled. "What you need to do is relax. You learned your lesson on putting less importance on akumas but you need a clear level head in order to de-evilize Chat Noir." She flew next to Marinette. "Stress won't help either one of you."

"I know but… what's going to happen to Chat if I don't de-evilze him?" The vision she had seen earlier flashed in her eyes and sat up with a start. She groaned in small pain and placed her hand over her bruised stomach. "What if I can't save him?"

"Don't think about that now… but it is important that you help him soon… Just rest Marinette, it'll be fine… _I hope_." She said the last part more to herself rather than Marinette as she thought back to her past. _'We can't let him stay akumatized any longer… his life is at stake now…'_

* * *

Elsewhere in the Agrest family mansion, Adrien laid on his bed looking up rather dazed. His headache was still there and his head felt heavy. He brushed it off as being tired but he somehow felt as if he wasn't even in his body. He felt guilt from hurting Ladybug but he was worried about Ladybug finding out his identity. He wanted Ladybug to look at him… not look at Chat Noir is he took off his mask.

He closed his eyes to sleep but before that another thought filled him. _'Who cares who she looks at? It's still me. It's mask or no mask, she'll look at me whether she wants to or not!'_

* * *

 ** _A/N:_**

 _Awwwww no one really got the reference in the previous chapter! Anywho, I suck at writing fight scenes but this was my best!_

 _Care to guess what will happen to Mari and Adrien. What is Tikki remembering that makes her worry for Adrien's life? And what did Marinette's vision mean?_


	4. The Stress of Power

Gabriel Agreste was not happy.

In fact he was angry.

But what was the source of his of his anger?

Why it was none other than his dearest son Adrien! His attitude was rotten and he did all his jobs terribly. His grades went down the drain. He snapped at anyone and everyone. He simply was not himself. Gabriel thought that it was about time that he had an intervention with his son. A couple of months had been enough for Adrien to have his silly little act. Which brings us to now. Gabriel stood menacing over Adrien and Adrien sat down scowling irritated.

"What do you want Gabriel?" Adrien made no effort to hide his irritation from his tone.

"First off its father, second of all it's your attitude. I demand an explanation."

"Now let's get things straight, _father,_ " Adrien said with sarcasm dripping heavily on the word father. "You have no right to demand anything from me."

"I am your father! I have every right to demand anything I want from you so long as you live under my roof, you eat meals paid with my money, and use a single cent of the money given to you because of me."

"Oh dear father! I can simply feel the love! Yes! The love between you and your precious wealth. Oh my poor mother! No wonder she left you, she must have not liked the threesome with you and your money."

"Don't you dare speak to me like that or about your mother that way!"

"I do dare! And do you know why? NO! You don't. You know nothing because you have Natalie to do that for you. When is my birthday? Were you even there or did you have some event more important? You literally know nothing about me except how I look, I make money for you, and my name! That's it."

"That's not true-"

"Yes it is! It's the reason why you were so adamant about keeping me inside of the house to be homeschooled, can't have your moneymaker hurt, now can we?"

"I did it only to protect you! You are important to me!"

"Shut up! You know it's not true." Adrien's constant headache returned with a vengeance. Usually it would come and go but it would be mild. That was not the case today though. Today it was threatening to become a migraine. Irritated he simply walked out the door ignoring all of Gabriel's yells to come back. He stopped caring about his father anyways.

Gabriel sighed when the door had been slammed closed. He was worried about his soon. He felt as if he was losing him. He had already lost his wife. He didn't think he could handle losing his son as well. He called Natalie to look for Adrien. He had work to do.

Truthfully he stopped caring about many things. That included school, his behavior, his friends, and now his father. Adrien wasn't eating enough either. Whenever he tried it would come back up or settle too heavily in his stomach and therefore he was losing weight. His nights were full of restless sleep and he disliked being around bright light. Dark circles appeared around his eyes and became very noticeable as he grew paler from lack of sunlight. He felt terrible and wanted to find rest, to sleep for a whole week, to eat until he was full, and he wanted to spend time in the sun. He knew that what was going on with him was unnatural and would look at the ring on his finger knowing that it was at fault. His hands would shake as he reached to take it off but always, _always,_ a voice would scream at him not to. It tormented him whenever he thought about taking off the ring, his head would feel like it was splitting, and he wouldn't take it off. It wasn't Hawkmoth's voice that would yell at him but his own. The greater part of his mind would want nothing more than to keep that ring on, to feel its power, to be Chat Noir.

Everyone could see that something was wrong with him and everyone worried. Even Chloe was worried, truly worried. She would watch him along with Sabrina and feared that he might be in serious problems, she even came to believe that maybe Adrien had gotten in with the wrong crowd and was introduced to drugs. She wanted to tell Natalie or even the teacher but she wouldn't, she didn't know what to do. Nino on the other hand was trying to figure out what was wrong with Adrien alongside Alya. They asked around and even asked the nurse what could possibly be wrong with their friend. The nurse told them that maybe he was stressed, maybe even depressed but that Adrien would need to go to a doctor if that kept up. Marinette on the other hand was dreadfully afraid that something might be seriously wrong with him. She came up with endless theories but none would satisfy her. Her designs would be no more as every time she would try and distract herself from Adrien's change, she would still be reminded that Adrien was not doing well. One day she even followed him round as both Marinette and Ladybug to see if she could get clues as to why Adrien was acting so strangely but all she got was more worries.

To top it off, Chat Noir was still giving her a hard time. He became cruel in his attempts to get Ladybug's attention and her miraculous. He stopped caring about her safety or that of many others. It frustrated Marinette that she couldn't stop him. She tried her best tro de-evilize him so many times but Chat would always leave before she had the chance to get the ring. It was starting to take a toll on Marinette and she would go home tired every time she transformed to Ladybug. Today was no different when Chat caused trouble.

Marinette got home after another failed fight against Chat Noir exhausted. Her parents had left to spend a night together and Marinette was grateful for that.

She sighed laying down on her bed. "I have to try harder, I don't understand why it's so hard to de-evilize just one person."

"Marinette, you just need to rest and clear your mind. After that you can try and de-elvilize Chat Noir, your health is more important than anything else. Don't stress yourself too much."

"But Chat Noir is-"

"Alright Marinette, I'm going to tell you a story of one of the previous miraculous holders. Back in the days when knights often went into battle, two miraculous holders were chosen. A Ladybug miraculous holder and a Black Cat miraculous holder. You see Marinette, the ladybug is good luck but it is also the power of creation, the black cat is bad luck and the power of destruction, together they are harmonious. They were partners that protected their land against evil and back then, an evil threatened to crush their country and all of Europe while it was at it. The evil was a person who had been exposed to long to something similar to an akuma. The person as their friends and family knew them had changed to the point where no one knew them. Both miraculous holders were at wits ends as they tried to stop this evil. Finally, after years of trying to stop the evil, the Black Cat miraculous holder found a way to stop the evil. He didn't tell the Ladybug miraculous holder though, because he knew well that if he told her, she wouldn't have hesitated in doing it but it was a dangerous technique to do. Both were supposed do the technique that would stop the evil but only the Black Cat miraculous holder did it. You can imagine how scared the poor man was, it was a stressful technique and his partner's safety was also in the line if he failed. It was a success but…. it ended up killing him, Marinette. He couldn't handle that much power. Nothing was left of him. The miraculous disappeared completely and the kwami was no more." Tikki sighed and looked at Marinette in the eyes. "I am worried about safety. I don't want you to get hurt or killed. Yes, catching Chat is important but don't give yourself less importance. I know this is a big job for you to do alone but don't try to shoulder the world on your own. Please don't hesitate to rely on me or your family or your friends. They all care about you, alright?"

Marinette stayed quiet for a moment and then started to sob. She covered her face with her hands. "I can't take it anymore Tikki. I can't handle the stress anymore. Chat, Adrien, school, Hawkmoth, everything! It's all just piling up and it's all too much for one person to handle." Tikki gently stroked Marinette's hair gently. Marinette cried until she couldn't shed anymore tears. When she finally stopped she let out a deep breath. She whispered a small 'thank you' to Tikki and fell asleep calmly for the first time in months.

Tikki looked at Marinette and flew to the window. She looked to the sky and thought back to all those years ago. How different things had been. Her heart ached when she thought back to the Black Cat miraculous holder and to the kwami. She missed him. Plagg had been very special to her and it left an empty spot in her heart when he disappeared. The miraculous holder had been so foolish but she could not blame him. When someone is in love, they would do anything to protect those whom they care about. She didn't want Marinette to push herself to that extreme. She always grew close to the miraculous holders, Marinette had as bright a heart as all the previous Ladybugs. She was a special girl indeed.

* * *

For Adrien there wasn't anyone to lean on. He was in pain. Physically, emotionally, and mentally. His whole arm where the ring was on ached terribly as if it were burning. The last fight with Ladybug left him feeling so tired but he couldn't rest with the ring on. He couldn't take it anymore and ignored everything, he just had to get that damned ring off his finger! He grabbed it and pulled it to take it off but it wouldn't budge. He gasped and tried to pull it off once more with all his strength but it wouldn't come off.

"No, no, no, no!" Adrien ran to the bathroom and poured a generous amount of soap on his fingers ring to help take it of. He prayed that it would come off already. He didn't know what to do. "Come off please! H-hawkmoth! I don't want to be Chat Noir anymore! Take it all back! Please!" He looked closely at his finger and ring and to his utter horror, the ring had fused with his skin. He tugged the ring now desperately. He was panicking but among panicking, he heard laughter. Why?! Why was there laughing, why would they laugh at his misery? Then he realised he was the one laughing. He was the one holding his stomach laughing hysterically as he had known now that Adrien was gone.

Chat Noir had taken over.

Adrien could drown in his own sub-consciousness.

Chat Noir was the only one who could have control now and he was loving it. No one could save him now.

Not even Ladybug.

* * *

Hawkmoth had said nothing all this time. He simply watched his little experiment flourish out of control. He was fascinated with how Adrien was reacting to having been akumatized for so long. He wanted Ladybug's miraculous still but this had caught his attention at the moment. What would happen if pushed Chat Noir to the edge? He should experiment with that, right?

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_

 _This was basically a transition and information chapter. I don't like this chapter all that much. Please leave a review to help me out in the next chapter!_

 _In this fic, Hawkmoth is not Gabriel so if thats your theory, it doesn't apply here._


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